Happy Reformation Day!

“...the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God[a] may be complete, equipped for every good work..” (2nd Timothy 3:15-17)

Before Martin Luther, others like Jan Hus, John Wycliff* and William Tyndale, had raised their voices; all three, killed by the church of Rome* for the "great sin" of proclaiming biblical truths, or of translating the Bible (the second died of natural causes, but was exhumed and his remains burned). In the Providence of God, at the beginning of the 16th century, Europe was ready, the Renaissance sought the return to the original sources and the printing press had been invented. In theology, the return to the Scriptures and the Bible, together with the texts that denounced the excesses and deviations from the Truth, would reach the common people more easily.

The spearhead was Sola Scriptura; as our Confession states, "The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience" (BCF1689, 1.1). Today we can have Bibles in our hands and in our language; today we hear sermons in Spanish and not masses in Latin. All of this is the product of the work that God did through these weak and fallible men, sinners; but today they have opened our eyes to understand that salvation is only through Christ (Solus Christus), only by the sovereign and sufficient grace of God (Sola Gratia) through faith and not by works (Sola Fide), as well as all for the glory of God (Soli Deo Gloria).

October 31st, 1517, marked the beginning of the Reformation when Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the Wittenberg Cathedral. Here is a short video about the story:

Three years later, at the Diet of Worms, Luther would be confronted and utter his famous phrase: "Unless I am convinced by the Holy Scripture or by evident reason, I cannot retract my position, for my conscience is captive to the Word of God, and to act against conscience is neither right nor safe."

Let us thank God that today we are free, since "you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (...) So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:32,36). Let us give glory to God by returning to the Scriptures and living according to His Will.

#PalabraVerdadYVida #MiEstudioBiblico #ReformationDay #Reformation #SolaScriptura